Dale Jr. Favored to Win Third Daytona 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start from the third position in his 16th career Daytona 500, where he’s favored to hoist the Harley J. Earl Trophy for the third time.

At 6-1 odds, Earnhardt is the lone favorite, per Odds Shark. Here is a look at a few other favorites:

Daytona 500—Favorites

Driver

Odds

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

+600

Jimmie Johnson

+900

Kevin Harvick

+1000

Joey Logano

+1000

Matt Kenseth

+1000

Brad Keselowski

+1200

Denny Hamlin

+1200

Kyle Busch

+1200

Carl Edwards

+1600

Kurt Busch

+1800

Chase Elliott

+1800

Martin Truex Jr.

+1800

Odds Shark

Earnhardt won the Can-Am Duels on Thursday to claim his 17th victory at the World Center of Racing to move to third all-time on the wins list at Daytona. He also topped the speed charts in final practice Saturday.

Dale Jr. has had a great car all Speedweeks, bringing the same machine to Daytona from last year where he finished third in the 500.

By winning Sunday, Dale Jr. would be among the most elite company in NASCAR history as just the sixth driver to win the prestigious Great American Race three times or more.

Kenseth was slated to start second after a resounding effort in qualifying, but NASCAR rules dictate a driver making a car change must start at the rear of the field. Johnson was already mired to roll off 26th, so rolling back five rows won’t make a major difference.

With the nature of restrictor-plate racing, drivers can surge through the entire field in a matter of laps, so track position isn’t as key at Daytona as it is other venues. In fact, Kenseth started 39th in his 2009 win in this race.

Kenseth, however, is down to his third-string car, having also wrecked in the Sprint Unlimited. He’s not as concerned about starting in the rear of the field as much as he is losing two of his preferred machines this week.

"Starting in the back in 500 miles, if you can't get to the front in three-and-a-half or four hours, you have an issue,” Kenseth said, per Bob Pockrass of ESPN. “I’m not as worried about that as I am the next car."

On Saturday, Johnson said he feels his backup car is even better than the primary he wrecked:

Kenseth and Johnson are each among the best in the field, and they should force their ways to the front. The only aspect they’ll need to be concerned about is getting caught up in trouble among other drivers.